Projectile discharging and cap exploding device



United States Patent PROJECTILE DISCHARGING AND CAP EXPLODING DEVICEWayne Fields, Cincinnati, Ohio Application May 7, 1954, Serial No.428,211

'2 Claims. (Cl. 124-2) This invention relates to a toy pistol and hasfor its primary object to simulate in a toy, a conventional pistol.

Another object is to discharge a projectile while at the same timefiring a cap of the type conventionally used in cap pistols.

A further object is to hold the projectile in the barrel of the pistolwhile at the same time facilitating the introduction of the projectileinto the barrel of the pistol against the plunger head.

The above and other objects may be attained by employing this inventionwhich embodies among its features a barrel having an open end, a plungermounted in the barrel for movement through the end thereof remote fromthe open end, a head carried by the plunger for movement therewith in arectilinear path within the barrel, yielding means carried by the barreland engaging the head for advancing it toward the open end of thebarrel, a trigger released lug carried by the barrel for movement in apath which intersects the rectilinear path, means for yieldinglyadvancing said lug into the rectilinear path to engage the head and holdit against the effort of the yielding means, a pistol cocking knobcarried by the plunger for movement in a rectilinear path therewithadjacent the end of the barrel remote from the open end thereof, adetent carried by the barrel for movement into the rectilinear pathbetween the lug and the open end of the barrel, a spring carried by thebarrel and engaging the detent for yieldingly advancing it into therectilinear path to retain a projectile between the plunger and the openend of the barrel, and a lever carried by the detent for moving itagainst the effort of the spring and out of the rectilinear path duringthe introduction of the projectile into the barrel.

Other features include an anvil carried by the barrel adjacent the endthereof remote from the open end, a hammer carried by the barrel formovement adjacent said barrel into engagement with the anvil, and meanscarried by the hammer and extending into the path of movement of theknob for engagement thereby to advance the hammer toward the anvil.

Still other features include a spring carried by the barrel and engagingthe hammer for holding it away from the anvil.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of a toy pistol embodying the features of thisinvention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of Figure 1, showing a portion broken away,more clearly to illustrate certain details of structure;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on theline 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line44 of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line55 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the illustrated toy pistoldesignated generally comprises a tubular barrel 2,758,585 Patented Aug.14, 1956 12 which is open at its forward end and has secured in its rearend an anvil 14 having an axial opening 16 extending therethrough inwhich is mounted for sliding movement a plunger rod 18 having a head 20on its forward end. The rear end of the plunger rod 18 behind the anvil14 is externally screw threaded as at '22 and threadedly engaged withsaid threaded end 22 is a pistol cocking knob 24. An expanding coilspring 26 encircles the plunger rod 18 between the anvil 14 and the head20 to drive the head toward the forward end of the barrel 12.

Carried by and extending laterally from the barrel 12 adjacent the anvil14 is a pistol grip 28 in which is pivot-' engage the forward end of thehead 20 when the rod 18' has been retracted to cocked position by meansof the cocking knob 24, against the resistance of the spring 26, wherebythe plunger rod 18 is held in its cocked position. A depending triggerfinger 34 is carried by the rear end of the trigger lever 30. Exerting arearward pull on the trigger finger 34 releases the lug 32 from the head20 and permits the spring 26 to drive the rod 18 and head 20 forwardlyin the barrel 12. A bowed spring 36 engaged with the pistol grip 28 andwith the trigger lever 30 yieldingly projects the lug 32 into the pathof movement of the head 20.

Mounted to rock about a pivot 38 on the trigger guard 35 is a detent 40which moves in an arcuate path which intersects the path of movement ofthe head 20. Carried by the detent 40 and projecting forwardly therefromto ward the forward end of the barrel 12 is an arm 42 by means of whichthe detent 40 may be moved about the pivot 38 to retract it out of thepath of movement of the head 20. A bowed spring 44 is engaged with thebarrel and with the arm 42 to yieldingly urge the detent 40. into thepath of movement of the head 20.

Carried by the grip 28 and extending rearwardly from the rear edgethereof adjacent the anvil 14 is an ear 46 having an elongated slot 48therein which lies parallel to the bar-rel 12. A cross pin 50 whichextends throughthe slot 48 carries hammer 52 having an opening 54through which the plunger rod 18 freely extends, as will be readilyunderstood upon reference to Figure 3. As shown, the hammer 52 isdisposed between the anvil 14 and the cocking knob 24 so that as theknob is moved forwardly by expansion of the spring 26, the knob 24 willstrike the hammer 52 and drive it toward the anvil. An expanding coilspring 56 encircles the plunger rod 18 between the anvil 14 and thehammer 52 in order to yieldingly hold the hammer out of engagement withthe anvil when the pistol is cocked.

In operation, pull is exerted on the cocking knob 24 to retract theplunger head 20 against the effort of the spring 26. Upon passing thelug 32, the head 20 will depress it against the efiort of the spring 36and upon passage of the head 20 beyond the lug 32, the lug 32 willspring upwardly in front of the head 20 and hold the head retractedagainst the effort of the spring 26. Obviously, as the head 20 passesthe detent 40, it will rock the detent rearwardly about the pivot 38against the effort of the spring 44 and as soon as the head has passedthe detent 40, the detent will spring forwardly and upwardly into thepath of movement of the head 20. With the pistol cocked, a projectilecan be inserted into the barrel through the forward end and Will rollrearwardly in the barrel until it encounters the detent 40, at whichtime the user presses on the arm 42 upwardly torock the detent 40against the effort of the spring 44 and permit the pro jectile to passand engage the head 20. Thus, the projectile will be retained in thebarrel until such time as the trigger finger 34 is pulled to retract thelug 32 from the path'of movement of the head 20 and plunger rod 18 atwhich time the plunger will be driven toward the forward end of thebarrel 12 and discharge the projectile therefrom. As. the head 20approaches the open end of the barrel 12, the cocking knob 24 willengage the hammer 52 andd-rive it forwardly against the effort of thespring SGand into contact with the anvil 14 so as to detonate aconventional cap which has been placed between the anvil and the head.onated substantially simultaneously with the discharge of the projectilefrom the barrel 12.

While in the foregoing there has been. shown and described the preferredembodiment of this invention, it is to be understood that minor changesin the details of construction, combination, and arrangement of partsmay be resorted to Without. departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. In atoy pistol, a tubular barrel having an open forward end and arear end, an anvil secured in said rear end, said. anvil having an axialbore, a plunger rod passing through said anvil bore and having a forwardend and a rear end,- an enlarged head on the forward end of the plungertrod, an expanding coil spring circumposed on the plunger rod andcompressed between said head and said anvil, said plunger rod having arear end portion reaching rcarwardly beyond said anvil, a cocking knobon and secured to said rear end portion of the plunger rod and spacedrearwardly from said anvil, a hammer hav ing a bore freely receivingsaid rear end portion of the plunger rod, said hammer being positionedbetween said cocking knob and said anvil, means slidably mounting saidhammer on said barrel, a spring compressed between the anvil and thehammer, a trigger lever pivotally mounted on said barrel at a pointintermediate the: ends of the trigger lever, said trigger lever havingan upstanding lug projecting through an opening provided in the barreland arranged to retainably engage the forward end of the plunger redhead in a retracted position of the plunger rod, and spring means actingbetween said trigger lever and a portion on the barrel and yieldablypositioning said trigger lever with its lug in retaining engagement withthe forward end of the plunger rod head.

In this way, the cap may be det-- 2. In a toy pistol, a tubular barrelhaving an open forward end and a rear end, an anvil secured in said rearend, said anvil having an axial bore, a plunger rod passing through saidanvil bore and having a forward end and a rear end, an enlarged head onthe forward end of the plunger rod, an expanding coil spring circumposedon the plunger rod and compressed between said head and said anvil, saidplunger rod having a rear end portion reaching rearwardly beyond saidanvil, a cocking knob on and secured to said rear end portion of theplunger rod and spaced rearwardl-y from said anvil, a hammer having abore freely receiving said rear end portion of the plunger rod, saidhammer being positioned between said cocking knob and said anvil, meansslidably mounting said hammer on said barrel, a spring compressedbetween the anvil and the hammer, a trigger lever pivotally mounted onsaid barrel at a point intermediate the ends of the trigger lever, saidtrigger lever having an upstanding lug projectingthrough an openingprovided in the barrel and arranged toretainably engage the forward endof the plunger rod head in a retracted position of the plunger rod, andspring means acting between said trigger lever and a portion on thebarrel and yieldably positioning said trigger lever with its lug inretaining engagement with the forward end of the plunger rod head, and aspring pressed detent pivotally mounted onsaid barrel forwardly of thetrigger lever, said detent having a port-ion normally extending throughsaid barrel opening for holding a projectile in the barrel and at theforward end of the plunger rod head in. aretracted position of theplunger rod'.

References Cited: in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS153,689 Steinbok Aug. 4, 1874- 270,738 Butterweck Jan. 16, 18831,306,584 Droege et al June 10, 1919 2,221,506 Brandon Nov. 12, 19402,225,629 Fraser Dec. 24, 1940 2,455,558- Burton Dec. 7, 1948 2,652,822Griflith Sept. 22, 1953

